Recommendation to phase out RCMP Depot in Regina: N.S. Mass Casualty Commission report

For nearly 140 years, the RCMP Depot in Regina Sask. has been training the next generation of officers.

In 2023 however, some are calling for major systematic changes to RCMP training.

“The future of the RCMP and of provincial policing requires focused re-evaluation.”

1:06 Scott Moe responds to recommendation of phasing out RCMP training centre in Regina

That was one of the comments made in the long-anticipated Mass Casualty Commissions (MCC) final report into the 2020 Nova Scotia Shooting, which spans more than 3,000 pages.

Over the course of 13 hours on April 18-19, 2020, a gunman killed 22 people, including a pregnant woman, across three Nova Scotia counties. He was at times dressed like a Mountie and driving a replica RCMP vehicle.

It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern Canadian history.

“We need to rethink the role of the police in a wider ecosystem of public safety,” the report read.

The recommendations include heavy changes to RCMP training, which traditionally takes place at the depot in Regina.

Anyone hoping to become an RCMP officer in Canada, must go through training at the depot in Regina.

But according to the new MCC report, that could soon change, with the commission recommending:

• “The RCMP phase out the Depot model of RCMP training by 2032 and the RCMP consult with the Métis and Saskatchewan Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations with respect to how the land and the facility should be used in the future.”
• “Public Safety Canada work with provinces and territories to establish a three-year degree-based model of police education for all police services in Canada.

The recommendations would phase out the depot, and instead implement a degree-based system that could be done across the country, rather than only in Regina.

For Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, on Thursday morning he said he hasn’t had a chance to go in depth on the recommendations, but his first instinct is that the province is short of officers.

“We need more officers to actually go through the depot and provide that service and safety for Saskatchewan and Canadians,” Moe said.

“To put in place more requirements for those people to enter into the training program, likely doesn’t help us with providing more officers into our communities,” he explained.

“We have been a very strong supporter of the depot here but also the RCMP in general and adding officers into our communities across the province,” Moe said. “The RCMP model and the recruits and the people in our communities have served us well. Our goal is to increase police resources and human resources.”

Sask. NDP leader Carla Beck has a similar view on the report.

“It is something that is deeply concerning not only as an MLA for Regina, but also for someone who is very proud of the tradition of the RCMP in this province,” Beck said.

She believes with the shortage of officers, especially in rural communities, any delays would make it even more challenging on the RCMP.

“If there are concerns with the training, that is certainly something to look at, but I think this seems an extreme measure especially at a time when we have a shortage of officers across the country,” Beck said.

Both Moe and Beck pointed to the rich history the depot has had in the province, and what a shame it would be to lose that.

“It is a source of pride not only for the city, but the province,” Beck said. “This is a big deal and those jobs, that history matters.”

2:01 Regina’s police Chief Evan Bray hangs up his hat